Plan your Meals!

Meal planning is a vital part of healthy eating. I allocate 1-2 hours each week planning out my meals and shopping for the necessary groceries. I treat meal planning like a regular job I have to complete weekly. By completing my meal planning tasks on the same day each week, I’m able to make the process more routine and efficient.

The benefits of meal planning include:

• Save time by eliminating the deliberation of trying to decide what’s for dinner on the fly.
  Weeknights are busy, and often feel too short! Whether you’re racing off to your kid’s dance lessons, or trying to get out to a sports game of your own. Having your dinner planned a head of time will save you time in the kitchen. Try getting a few things prepped a head of time (ie. veggies washed in a sealed container). This will enable you to whip up your dinner masterpiece a little quicker!
• Save money.Planning your meals and grocery shopping with a list will lead you to buy only the ingredients you need for the week. This will minimize food going bad on you. It will also help prevent you from buying over-priced, pre-made meals and impulse products because they aren’t a part of your dinner plans.
• Lessen stress throughout your busy weeknights.The evening commute is a very stressful experience for most of us. Knowing that your dinner is planned for the evening, will help de-stress you. Visualizing yourself starting dinner during the drive home may help organize and prepare you for the cooking experience that lies a head, allowing you to enjoy it more.
• Reduce calories consumed.When you take the time to plan out your meals in advance, you’ll be able to figure out great veggie dishes for each meal. You will reduce the need for picking up processed foods, pre-made meals and impulse products that are often purchased during last-minute times of need. When you get home from work, you will be less likely to mindlessly snack, you’ll instead start making your dinner.

Meal Planning Tips:

• Keep it simple (KISS)!
  Many of us don’t want to spend hours making dinner after a long day at work. Try to find recipes that take no more than 30 minutes to prepare.
• Build your own recipe book.
  Either print your most enjoyed meals out and save them in a folder, or save them to your desktop in a single file. Don’t be afraid to reuse your favourite recipes a couple of times a month. Switching up the veggies is a great way to slightly alter an old favourite.
• Keep you lunches consistent.
  If you can, try eating salads for lunch. They’re a great way to get 3-4 servings of veggies into one meal (which is a lot more than most people consume in a day!), plus protein. There are many different ways to change up a salad – please connect with me if you need some salad recipes, I have a ton!

In summary, consistent meal planning can lessen your weekday dinner stress, save you time and money. Planning a head will often reduce your calorie intake. Start mapping out your meals now! Please connect with me if you have any meal planning questions.